Many diseases are caused by viral infections. Infection of humans with Human Immunodeficiency Virus such as HIV-1 causes a dramatic decline in the numbers of white blood cells, particularly in the numbers of CD4+ T-lymphocytes. When the number of such cells becomes low enough, opportunistic infections and neoplasms occur, and the pathology may progress to Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS). Therapeutics aimed at combating HIV and other viruses, as well as research tools for their study, are extremely important.
Many viruses subvert host proteins to gain entry into cells, exploit their metabolic functions for replication, and evade immune surveillance. Furthermore, immune reactions that may be beneficial for clearing pathogens can be deleterious to the host if they persist or if they are triggered inappropriately, such as in autoimmune syndromes.
The present invention seeks to overcome one or more problem(s) associated with the prior art.